What is the Startle Reflex?
The startle reflex, also referred to as the "startle response," is an inbuilt, involuntary reaction to sudden threats. This response is triggered by the body’s nervous system sending rapid signals to the brain, causing you to raise your arms to shield yourself. Even individuals trained in self-defense can instinctively react to protect their head and face following a sudden movement or potential threat.
How the Startle Reflex Can Leave You Vulnerable?
This reflex is designed to help you avoid serious injury by protecting your most vital areas. However, while this reflex can be effective against blunt force, it has a significant weakness when it comes to edged weapons.
Imagine a scenario where the threat is more severe than a punch—consider an attacker wielding a knife, a broken bottle, or a razor blade. In such a situation, the startle response can inadvertently expose critical areas of your body, particularly the radial and ulnar arteries in your wrists and forearms. These arteries are crucial for blood circulation, and if they’re severed, it could lead to rapid blood loss, shock, and even fatal consequences.
Additionally, any severe injury to the tendons or muscles in your arms would compromise your ability to defend yourself further, leaving you vulnerable and making you an easier target for further attacks.
Mitigating The Risk
SlashPRO® Slash Resistant Clothing is crafted from an ultra-high-performance fabric called Cut-Tex® PRO. This fabric offers outstanding cut and slash protection without compromising comfort or durability.
We understand that during an attack, instinctive reactions like the startle response can leave vital areas exposed. That’s why our clothing is designed to cover and protect these vulnerable areas such as the Brachial, Ulnar and Radial Arteries located in the upper arm, forearm and wrist, by providing an additional layer of defence that could make all the difference in preventing life-threatening injuries.
Worn and trusted by experts in Police Specialist Units, National Crime Agency, Secret Service, Border Force and Front-Line Security Officers. SlashPRO® continues to make the difference between life and death in a high-risk situations.
About the Author
Ethan Blin is the Marketing Manager at PPSS Group. His mission ensures that security and high-risk industry professionals receive comprehensive information about the exceptional protection our carbon fibre stab vests, cut resistant clothing, and slash resistant clothing provide. Through this knowledge, he hopes to empower individuals to make informed decisions to safeguard both their teams and themselves effectively.
